Northsight Park

Habitat: City park with excellent bordering mesquite and paloverde habitats

Overall Birding Rating: 2

Difficulty: 1 (Easy)

Birding Type: Simple Walk

Facilities: Parking, restrooms

Fees/Ownership: None/City of Scottsdale

Closest Town or City/How far from Phoenix: Scottsdale/ 15 miles northeast of Phoenix

Getting there: Easily reached by different cross streets just off the Loop 101 East

Overview: Located in the north Scottsdale is the rather small Northsight Park. This park is very productive for birding during migration and should be checked by birders during migration and in winter. The park is lined with big mesquites, paloverdes, sonoran desert habitat, as well as open grass fields which attract large sparrow numbers. The regular desert species will be found here as well. Expect numerous passerines here during migrations, including numerous warblers and sparrows.

Birding Tip: Birding at Northsight Park is easy and simple and is a simple stroll through the area. Check the mesquite chains in the park for migrants (as well as all the other trees). The best birding is along the northwest side of the park, where there are dense mesquite and paloverde habitat. Check the open fields in migration and winter for sparrow flocks. The south part of the park has good desert habitat worth the exploring as well.

Directions: Accessing Northsight Park is done best by exiting the Pima Freeway (Loop 101 E) on one of the nearby cross streets. One of the exits would be Thunderbird Road, which turns into Northsight Blvd. Just north of this exit is the exit to Raintree Drive. Take either of these exits west to access the park. If using the Raintree Drive exit, proceed 0.3 miles west after exiting off of the 101 and take Raintree Dr. to Northsight Blvd. Take Northsight Blvd shortly south for 0.2 miles (just past Evans Rd) to the turnoff to Northsight Park on the west side of Northsight Blvd. If using the Thunderbird Rd/Northsight exit, take that route 0.5 miles west which curves in the northward direction to the turnoff to the park. Northsight Park will be on the west side of the road if using this exit also (Remember, Thunderbird Rd. turns into Northsight Blvd.). If coming north up Northsight looking for the park and Evans Rd. is reached, than you've come too far. The park is just south of Evans Rd. If taking regular streets other than freeway, the main border streets that are close to the park are N Hayden Rd. on the west, E Cactus Rd. on the south, and the 101 (Pima Freeway) on the east. If on Cactus, one can take 84th street north for one mile, which eventually runs through the south side of Northsight Park into the park's parking area.